I do not know what went through my mind that day, suggesting an idea as devious as that. It was not as if I were desperate to get back at Marcus for his little stunt and yet I was drawn to it and uncontrollably so. Adrianne's pushing did not entirely help the cause either; if anything, she was far more interested in causing another mess for the sake of it than keeping out of mischief.

As soon as I whispered in her ear, she grinned maniacally.

We stayed in that room until twilight, waiting for Mother and Father to summon us to the foyer. The rain never let up one bit - it grew harsher still.

Eventually, one of the maids, Vanellope I believe, came to collect us, poking her head through the door.

"The Duke and Duchess await your presence, my ladies," She turned to look up at us, waiting for a response.

I nodded, "Thank you, Vanellope. We will be there shortly."

Down in the foyer, Mother stood next to Father, draped in black velvet with a large mink scarf around her shoulders and a netted hat covering her raven-black hair. If I had to compare her to anything, I would choose Ahavet, the saint of divine retribution.

It is said that Ahavet would send her crows to pluck the eyes of sinners from their flesh and worms to feast on their corpses. In the myths, none who were sent to her would return and even Oberon had difficulty in managing how she measured out right justice, lest she turn justice into vengeance.

In comparison, I would describe my father as being gentle, like Yvonne and just as sweet. Yvonne's attribute was a gentle, healing disposition and Oberon meant to use him as a healing guide for the poor, wretched souls left in Ahavet's wake. If Ahavet were the blazing, scorching sun, Yvonne would be the quiet moon trailing not far behind.

Looking back on those simple days, it might be that the men in my family were far warmer, kinder and sweeter than the women, as I could see Father in Marcus quite easily, from the flash of his hair to the glimmer in his eye and come to think of it, he had Father's twitch in his right hand as well, while my mother's face scathed me daily in the mirror; unfortunately, I was born with her glare and my face did not show much emotion to others outside Father, Marcus and Adrianne.

Mother's voice woke me from my stunned reverie; for all the terror she invoked, she was still ravishing in her own right.

"Ladies, we will be out for the night. Do not get into any mischief while we're gone," she turned her hawkish eyes to me in particular, "and don't let Marcus out of your sight. He ought to be asleep by now."

Only ever thinking of Marcus, I see.

Father chuckled, "Celestine, don't scare the children. Eliza, Adrianne, we will be back before it gets too dark. Remember to watch over Marcus and ask Denver should you require anything."

Adrianne bowed slightly, nodding toward Denver at their side, then to the two of them, "Of course, Lady Celestine, Lord Alucard. We will be on our utmost behaviour."

"Yes Father, Mother. We will see you shortly," I followed suit, nodding my head in agreement, "and do come home quickly. I fear the rain will not let up 'til the morrow after dawn. Father also has another meeting set in place with Count Buford as well, if I am unmistaken."

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Denver nodded, “The young lady is correct, Master, my Lady. We shall await your safe return.”

I reached up to give them their kisses goodbye, first on Mother's cheek, then on Father’s. Her face turned a slight, near imperceptible shade of pink and I believed her eyes softened slightly. She placed her hand on my head, smoothing a few strands.

"Just... try not to get dirty, Love. We'll be sure to come back before you realise."

I was stunned. Mother did not give pats on the head. She did not blush at a formality and she certainly did not call me 'Love' any more than I did her. At least, I believed so until I saw Father wink at me from under the brim of his hat. He did something to her, but for the life of me, I could not imagine what - I was too young to know back then.

Sly weasels, these Hestions.

Adrianne and I waited about a half hour past their departure, rolling around on my carpet, watching the angry clouds drift by, before telling Vanellope and Masha we were going off to sleep. I do not know about Adri, but I do recall my own heart thumping with each passing second with more and more fervour.

"Very well, my ladies. Have a good night."

Masha pulled the curtains shut, while Vanellope dimmed the lights. They both bowed to us, then crept out the door, unsuspecting. I felt bad in that moment for the two of them; Mother would skin them alive if we were caught and they were the only two in the whole house who showed me any form of respect, but at the same time, the very taste of seeing what I was forbidden to see was so exciting and drove me to the point where I did not care.

In this manor, there were but a small handful of places I was not allowed access to: the basement, the first floor kitchen, Father's study on the second floor, Mother's study on the third floor and the attic. I had, despite their best efforts, either snuck my way into nearly every one of them one way or another, but I did not manage to stay for very long. Though I say nearly, I mean that I had not yet entered the basement nor Father's study on my own volition until.

Father had warned me personally of the dangers of wandering into the basement and had guided me through there once upon a time as a small child, carrying me in his arms. Though he covered my eyes with a blindfold and patted my back comfortingly, whispering soothing words in my ears from time to time, I could not, still cannot, stop hearing the dying screams of agony, the visceral dripping, the snapping of fingers and the clanging of metal bars as prisoners beseeched him for their lives.

Once we had arrived outside the basement and made our way to the outdoor stables, I saw a sight that frightened me far more than any torment beneath my feet: my Father, Lord Alucard Zenith Von Hestion, towering over me and everything surrounding him, without a trace of a smile on his face. I could not feel his warmth, nor recognise the man who had raised me in the one standing before me and it scared me a lot more than Marcus ever could in comparison. This is what it meant for my father to be a Duke of Valia and the sheer level of strict rigidness required to exude power from every pore of his being; I hated every bit of it.

The second place I had never set foot, neither with nor without Father, was his own personal study. After that day in the basement, I dared not draw near his office, even though it was the closest of all forbidden rooms to mine. That office was directly across from my bedroom, here in the South wing, down the hallway to the end of the North Wing, with a single corner, a small landing and a flight of stairs separating the two.

The rain pounded harder, covering the rustle of fabric and the ripples of sound we made moving towards the door.

Adri peeked out, nearly bouncing on the tips of her toes.

"Are you ready?"

Nerves balled in my stomach.

Should I really do this? Can I make it out?

A moment's hesitation sank in, enough to make Adrianne whip around, facing me.

I paused, thinking, then nodded.

"Let's go."